I find one of the most difficult aspects of my day is not dealing with patients who live in the age of immediate gratification and entitlement but rather doctors who don't. The patients are easy to deal with. I tell them the hospital runs on a mysterious just in time schedule where they could be called up for action or delayed to the sidelines at anytime for a million different reason.
But doctors? I don't get them. They are another story entirely. Unfortunately, somewhere along their training, many doctors developed an entitled sense of "Do Not Disturb" from other doctors. It seems like half my day is sometimes waiting on hold trying just to contact other doctors hidden behind their 12 minute automated answering service.
No I don't speak Spanish or Chinese or Portuguese. No I don't need medical records. I definitely don't need to make an appointment or to refill a medication. I just want to talk to you doc. That's all. I just want to discuss the patient we have been taking care of together for the last four days.
Why must it be so hard? Why do some doctors or some offices refuse to let other doctors have their cell phone number? When I call a doctor regarding patient management issues, I'm calling because I need to discuss patient care issues. Not because I want to annoy you.
Fortunately, since I have discovered smart phones and texting in the hospital, I have discovered the beauty of real time hassle free communication. Many doctors don't want to be interrupted to answer a cell phone. And I get that. There are times where I can't be interrupted either. But obstructing access to your colleagues is not the answer either. We are all doing our best to provide efficient care on a real time basis.
Some doctors have entered the age of technology gracefully. They have embraced texting and its ability to strengthen the teamwork between physicians taking care of hospitalized patients. There are some physicians I love to work with because of that openness to communication.
I was shocked recently when I received a text from a surgeon whom I had discussed a consultation request by phone earlier in the day. It was a fantastic surprise as I was not aware of any surgeon who knew how to text, nor any that owned a text capable phone. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a surgeon log into a computer to look up their own labs. So finding one that knows how to text is a major step forward in surgical residency training. Perhaps one day a month of residency training in "How to do a lap with your eyes closed" will be replaced with "How to text your colleagues and look really cool at the same time."
I wish there was a list. A list of all doctors who knew what texting was and how to do it. Life would be so much easier if I could text them to call me at their convenience, or to let them know that certain issues needed addressed. Or that I was discharging the patient and needed their follow up recommendations before they left. We lose so much time to inefficiency in the hospital. And a major part of that problem is the lack of communication between physicians regarding the plans of the day.
And now I learn that nurses are not allowed to text patient specific or even room specific issues on the texting system. What HIPAA has done is immediately destroy possibly one of the greatest efficiency weapons in the history of hospital based medicine. For all the hours spent waiting on hold for a physician's office to call you back, imagine how many lives could be saved and how many man hours eliminated waiting on hold or waiting for the doctor to call you back, if only hospitals allowed nurses to text patient care issues as well.
Someday, things will change. Hopefully as the exponential expansion of computer technology continues, new ways for real time communication will revolutionize the way doctors and nurses communicate in hospitals. And that can only be a positive thing for the patient experience.
